Crimson Sky

You are in the usual room, a dank, cavernous underground room carved out of the rock. Three thick metal doors lead out of the room, one on your left, the one you entered through, leading up to the middle class residential area, one to your right, leading into the armoury and then onto the market square and the third, a giant, circular bulkhead door over fifteen feet high that leads directly into the back of the lift to the surface. Fourteen new mechsuits stand in position, ready to be mounted, along the walls on either side between you and the bulkhead door, seven on each side.

A single mechsuit stands before you, unmanned. You and the twenty nine other hunters are lined up in three rows close to the back wall, ready and waiting for Captian King to arrive for the usual pre-hunt brief.

A hunter at the left end of the middle row, a hulking, eight-foot tall, ogre-augmented man named Kroge Wilson (not-so-affectionately nicknamed 'Dipshit') with balding black hair and small, piggy eyes growls and flexes his mechanical right arm, before spitting angrily at the floor.

"Fuckin' new 'quipment. 'ate it when this shit comes - fuckin' cap'in always talks f' fuckin' hours 'n' we always 'ave ta fuckin' rush 't the end."

"Can it, Dipshit." The captain's second in command, a basilisk-augmented man named Samuel Carpenter growls, leveling a menacing glare over his shoulder, his shoulder-length blonde hair swishes as he turns away.

"Shut da fuck up both of you. The captain's comin'." Snarls Jose Ert, the brown haired, bearded ceberus-augmen from the middle of the back row.

The metal door to your right is slammed open and Captain Tobias King stalks into the room, trailed by fifteen or so dragon fodder. He is both tall and heavily built, while at the same time managing to appear lithe and athletic, more than likely thanks to the nundu blood running in his veins. His green eyes sweep over the assembled hunters runs a hand through his short, dirty-blonde hair.

"Right, bitches." He greets you, nicely. "As you can see, Al's sent over some lovely new presents for us. Mech suits! Fun fun fun fun." He deadpans the last, smacking the side of the mech suit as he strolls up to it. "For those of you who wanna use em, listen up and have a good look."

The mechsuit is around twelve feet tall, seemingly opperated by metal wire pulley systems. The feet are cross shaped, presumagly for stability, with two large tanks filled with a light-blue liquid that you vaguely recognise as pegasus blood, which has pipes running into the 'knee' joints, which seems to be made up of a spring and several runed circles. The inside of the legs each have a horizontal metal plate with straps for your feet which is attatched to a wheel that connects onto the pulley system, the metal wires running down to connect to the calf. Further straps for your thighs are connected straight onto the leg itself.

The 'crotch' of the suit is made up by a leather seat encased within the metal poles that make up the ribbing of the suit, which are currently opened to allow access. The body of the suit itself is quite short as the arms are placed only slightly above the legs (in proportion to the rest of the suit) and extends backwards, with several tanks of multiple types of blood and the engine showing through the metal ribbing behind the seating area.

The arms of the suit themselves have incredibly short upper arms, as long as a human upper arm, with space to slide your arm through. The forearms are far longer, with a metal plate with straps for your forearm embedded into the inside of the elbow joint. At the end of this is a thick leather glove with metal rings around tip of each finger, metal wires running up the inside of the arm and connecting into the giant metal fingers at the end, presumably controlling them, the tips of the fingers reaching to the knee joints of the leg.

The Captain pats the leg of the suit.

"Right first thing you need to know: these fuckers are a bitch to get in and out of, and you can't do it alone, so dont try it on the battlefield. You use these handholds:" He indicates to several hand and footholds set into the inside of the leg, "to climb up into the seat then you need to be strapped in. Now, we've got pegasus blood in the bottom of these thing's legs, which means they're both light enough to move and able to jump like a motherfucker. You might make ten feet off the ground and these arms are seven feet long so take advantage of that. Al's installed gravitators into the feet as well, so you'll stick to anything you land on."

He climbs up into the suit and sits in the seat, sliding his arms into the arms of the suit and then into the gloves. Several fodder - obviously already aware of how the suits work, clamber up after him and strap him in, closing up the main body around him.

"Now." His voice echoes oddly, but still loud, through the enclosed front of the suit. A fodder places a ladder at the back of the suit and climbs up to the engine, pulling a lever to activate it. "The engine in the back here uses Salamander blood - thats the bright orange vial on the inside of the suit, so keep an eye on that cos' that's your overall power. This engine does the heavy lifting on the whole suit, but you don't have to worry too much - theres enough of all of the types of blood to last at least seven hunts, Al reckons. The water is recycled so you dont have to worry about that at all, though you may wanna check it every month or so."

Strapped in, he stands straight, the suit towering over you.

"So. In the right arm." He waves it at you, turning it to show the inside, revealing two revolver-like clips of what appear to be crossbow bolts side-by-side within the arm, before turning it to show the outside, which has two crossbows built into it, a massive lever protruding out of front of each one. "You have two crossbows. You use the right arm to grab one of these levers and pull it back to the elbow." He motions as if to do so. "The bolt loads automatically and is released on a timer that I'm told is wound by pulling the lever, but hell, I just work here. Now, you have two 'cos there's two types of bolt; the left ones are fire-bolts, the right ones are electrical ones. Those are a HELL of a lot more expensive, so bare that in mind when you're shooting them, you pay to refill these fuckers."

Raising the arms, he shows you the outside of the wrists, which have some sort of wide barrelled gun with a large hammer mounted on the sides.

"Now don't fall asleep on me, this shit's still important. Grapple hooks - gunpowder loaded, they rewind themselves and they're good for eight uses each. Uses giant blood to lift the mech, so keep an eye on the greeny-grey vial in here. Thats the second one along, the thirds pegasus blood for you blind fuckers among us." He reaches up and indicates to right shoulder of the mech with a thumb. "Flares on the back. Press the big button they fire. You got twenty. DON'T FORGET to use em when you run into creatures, you little glory hounds, we've lost three hunters this month, and though only one of 'em's to the surface, WE DON'T WANT ANY MORE. Yes?"

There is a murmur of agreement.

"Last thing. As you can probably see, the left arm's a blade arm." It is, indeed, a blade, mounted on the outside of the arm, half a foot thick at its widest point, extending a foot back past the elbow and two feet in front of the hand. He indicates to a lever on the inside of the arm, just in front of the glove his hand is in. "This lever pulls it forward." He wrenches the lever up and along, pulling the blade forward a further two feet. "If you close your fist, thats four and a half feet of pure sharpened steel. Use it as you're meant to." He slides the lever back and steps back slightly.

"Now, we're almost late, so no time to sit and chat today, ladies. If you're taking a mecha, get in one. If not, you know where the armoury is - so move your ass!" With that he turns and strides towards the bulkhead door at the back of the room, one of the fodder jogging alongside him.

The hunters around you quickly break ranks, some heading straight to the door on your right, others moving straight for the mecha.

I sigh at the captain's ever-delightful mode of address and start to make my way toward the armoury ignoring the mechs.

I look back as I walk to see which of the others take them.

I inspect a mech, and turn to the nearest hunter. "For some reason, I doubt that would be too comfortable for me," I say as I unfurl my wings and look back them. Without waiting for a response I turn away and move towards the armoury.

You see Kroge start arguing with Jose over one of the mechs before Samuel appears and sends the half-ogre in your direction. He pushes past you as he heads through the door to the armory, knocking your shoulder and forcing you back a step.

The armory is both darker and danker than the previous room and the cieling is much lower. An elderly man about in his sixties, in a white dirty labcoat and a burned and scarred brown leather apron with scraggley white hair that looks as if he's been electrocuted is waiting there. Along the walls and on tables set around the edge of the room are various items in their usual positions, pistols, rifles, swords and crossbows cover the tables on one side of the room, while the other side the armour that is necessary for survival on the outside. On the wall next to the door you came through is a set of lockers, one of which belongs to you. Near the door that leads into the market square is a table set up by one of the apothecaries, selling various potions for reasonable prices.

I go over to the weapons and look over the rifle selection, not expecting much.

My wings unfurl in reaction and extend aggressively but I think better of starting a scene in here. I continue onward toward the armoury.

There are multiple flintlock rifles, all with autoloader to allow for loading in the shots next to the trigger rather than from the top of the barrel. A small card next to each of the different types of rifle explains what they do.

Electrificatorer - charges bullets to give them that extra bit of zap! You can load six shot into the autoloader at once, so fire away!
The rifle has a modification that involves a lightbulb protruding out of the top left hand side of the hammer with multiple pipes and wires and some kind of vent. The rifle

buzzes loudly. Around the muzzle of the gun are four smaller lightbulbs connected by thick metal wires, bolts of electricity shooting between them. The autoloader is connected

onto the right hand side and has six of the ballbearing-like shot slotted into the ammo holder, metal rings connected by wires, that feeds into the chamber of the gun.

Gravitron delux! max! - make your targets heavier with each shot! Especially for those pesky fliers! We've compensated for the slight effect with lots of shot! Six-a-go!
Runed stone circles encircle the barrel all the way up, but aside from that and the autoloader it looks like a normal rifle.

Magnetiting! - we charge your shot full of magnetic energy so that when they explode, THEY EXPLODE! Bigger bullets so 3 a round with the autoloader!
A spring-like coil of metal runs up the barrel, with electricity zapping between the loops. The autoloader is much wider than the previous ones.

Poisonous Venomer - hollow bullets filled with a joyous mixture of the deadliest stuff we could find, then coated in more of it once they're in the gun! 3 bullets a go!
A metal bracket is connected onto the side of the rifle, protecting multiple (reinforced) glass vials that contain a yellowy-green liquid.

Weakener - Like the Venomer, but filled with a mixture of bloods that weakens your targets! Break bones in three hits with 3 bullets! (Two weakening and a normal bullet)
This rifle is incredibly similar to the one before, however the vials are filled with a blueish grey liquid.

Petrificator - Once again those hollow bullets are filled with fun-filled mixtures! This time use gargoyle blood to petrify them (WARNING, turning monsters to stone while they're shooting them can cause your allies to shoot you!)
This time the vials are filled with a grey mixture.

Burnernator - salamander blood superheats the shot til they're all but melting! (WARNING: also melts the barrels) Shoot through almost anything! One bullet per autoload!
The barrel of this gun appears to be made of stone, with runes carved all the way up it. Thin glass tubes loop up the barrel and into it, looping out around the much wider autoloader and back into an orb-like vial that hangs in front of the trigger.

The armoury is both darker and danker than the previous room and the ceiling is much lower. An elderly man, about in his sixties, in a white dirty labcoat and a burned and scarred brown leather apron with scraggley white hair that looks as if he's been electrocuted is waiting there.

Along the walls and on tables set around the edge of the room are various items in their usual positions, pistols, rifles, swords and crossbows cover the tables on one side of the room, while the other side the armour that is necessary for survival on the outside. On the wall next to the door you came through is a set of lockers, one of which belongs to you. Near the door that leads into the market square is a table set up by one of the apothecaries, selling various potions for reasonable prices.

I walk to my locker and open it.

I quickly glance over the rifle stock without paying too much attention to them. However, my eyes lock on the Gravitron model; ideas of finally being able to snag some of the faster winged monsters briefly enter my mind. I reach for the rifle for a closer inspection.

You see your pair of metal-clawed gloves (OOC: PLEASE PROVIDE SKETCH AND DESCRIPTION) as well as three spare healing potions, an explosive one and a giant-strength potion that you had left over from the last hunt.

You feel a large hand grab the back of your head and shove it forward into your locker, smacking your forehead into the back of the locker. Kroge's spitefully amused voice calls out.

"Eheh. Careful there babyboy, nah need t' go tha' far t' get aht mah way." You hear the sound of the locker above yours opening as he holds you in place.

The rifle is slightly heavier than usual, more than likely due to the runed stone rings that encircle the barrel. Aside from this, it seems to be much less cumbersome and easier to move with than many of the other models. There is a large belt pouch filled with shot for the gun beside where it was on the table. You hear a commotion from the lockers.

I turn around, the rifle resting back on my right shoulder and the ammunition already stored away. I wait to see what has happened this time, and find out who caused it.

I react on instinct. I throw a punch into Kroge's gut in an attempt to get him to release me.

You see Kroge forcing the newest member of the hunters - a kid named Harold or something - head into a locker. The kids quick on his feet, and was apparently trained by the last captain before he deserted Evren around two years ago. The entire family were hunters and are all a bit... quirky. He reacts and punches Kroge, but the larger man just laughs and throws him on the ground.

Before anyone can react, Samuel appears next to him and lands a perfect punch in his solar plexus, dropping him to his knees.

"Don't pick on the newbies, dipshit."

He walks off, leaving Kroge panting on the floor before Harvey.

Kroge laughs and pulls you back out of your locker, throwing you on the floor behind him. He slams his locker shut and turns to walk away when Samuel appears next to him and lands a perfect punch in his solar plexus, dropping him to his knees.

"Don't pick on the newbies, dipshit."

He walks off, leaving Kroge panting on the floor before you.

I make a mental note to hurt Kroge at some point, take my things and walk away. I wouldn't attack him after someone else knocked him down.

The elderly man, who you know as Weird Al, the guy who designs most of the weapons you see throughout the room, sighs and rolls his eyes at the violence.

"I see you boys are the ones who decided not to use the mechs I slaved for months over." He tuts good-humourdly. "Ah, well there are plenty of other toys in here, anything take your fancy?"

Ignoring the confrontation, I turn back to the rifle and look it over properly. The faint whirring and clicking of lenses changing can be heard from my goggles.

I nod to Weird Al before turning away to train the rifle on the nearest hunter's head, the usual sign that I've chosen a weapon and like the feel of it. "Boom. Seriously though, what good would the aerial support be if I was stuck in one of those things?"

Not in an amusing mood I ignore Al and turn back toward my locker and retrieve my things for the hunt.

Weird Al nods slowly.
"Hmm hmm. Well, take your pick from whats here," He gestures round at the assorted rifles, pistols, powergloves, swords and crossbows on his right, before pointing at the armour on his left. "And don't forget to pick up some armour either!"

"Do you have the replacement armour I asked for? The design for the last set was perfect but I need something that can take a hit." I briefly think back to the scraps of metal I was left with on the previous hunt. As I wait for a response I look at the swords on display behind the old man.

I move toward the table and pick up my leather body armour and arm-guards and walk toward the exit.

Samuel is waiting by the door, leaning against the doorpost.

"Yo. You done already?" He asks.

You see various rapiers, each with modifiers just above the hilt that either run blood down grooves of the blade or empower it.

Elecroblade

Flamer

Poisoner

Gravitator

"Yes"

"Rapiers again? Hmm, never mind." I turn to leave, but remember an earlier conversation. "Actually, never mind about that armour. My old man was talking about something to do with a new set for me, but he wasn't saying much. I'll take the usual stuff." I look at the armour.

Samuel suppresses a grin at the shortness of your answer.
"Don't let that shit with Kroge get you down. There was nothing you could do there, otherwise I wouldn't've stepped in. He's got no business messin' with newbies." He nods to you, his words reminding you that this is only your second 'real' hunt with these guys. They've never seen you in action before.

You see various pieces of leather armour, chestpieces, armguards, shinpads and the like, some with metal plates bolted onto them, though you remember to keep in mind how much weight you put on to keep the stress off your wings. There are multiple sets of goggles, and thick leather trench coats, many with slots cut in the back to accommodate for wings.

I wince at the word newbie and turn away from Samuel, "I shouldn't need your help".